There are a few different ways I get coupons, and all of these ways combined take about 20 minutes or less before my weekly shopping trip. As you get used to doing it, it gets faster, and as a college student, couponing can be an awesome way to save some extra money. I do try to make sure that I don’t spend too long looking for coupons since time is money, right? The most important part of quick and efficient couponing is knowing where to look, so let’s talk about the best spots to find coupons you’ll actually want to use!

The best places to look:

1. Your grocery store’s online coupons. Almost every grocery store has online coupons that go directly onto your store rewards card once you click on them, so you don’t even have to print them. Of the grocery stores near me, Kroger and Harris Teeter usually have some good options.

The awesome thing about online coupons is that you can clip an online coupon AND use a manufacturer’s coupon in the store, so you can end up saving some serious money (if $3 instead of $1.50 counts as “serious money” ;)).

2. Emails from the companies you love. If you’re like me, you don’t like signing up for a bunch of emails, but some companies email out great printable coupons. I have a separate email address for company sign-ups and other things like that, and none of these companies send out an obnoxious number of emails, so to me, it’s worth signing up.

3. The websites of your favorite brands. You might be surprised by how many companies offer coupons right on their websites! If I see an awesome sale in my store’s online flyer for say, Stonyfield Greek yogurt, I could check Stonyfield’s website to see if they have coupons, print a few, and then stock up and get a great deal by combining the sale and coupons. A lot of companies put coupons on their Facebook pages, too.

4. Couponing sites.Lozo.com and coupons.com both have good coupons! If you’re a healthy eater, you can scroll right past the junk food coupons and almost always find some coupons for healthy foods, as well as things like household items.

5. A quick Google search. If you type in the type of coupon you’re looking for, you’ll often be able to find one quickly. I always click “Search tools” and filter my results to be from within the last month so that a bunch of expired coupons don’t come up.

A bonus way to save: double couponing

Some grocery stores will double your coupon up to a certain value. For instance, if you use a $.75 coupon, the cash register will automatically take off $1.50. The way it works is that the store will match the manufacturer’s coupon amount up to a certain dollar amount. Not all stores do this, but some of the stores near me, like Harris Teeter, will match coupons as long as the coupon’s amount is less than $1.

Sometimes, Harris Teeter has “super double coupon” sales where they’ll match any coupon up to $2! So, if you had a $1.50 off coupon, they’d take $3 off. Not a bad deal, and in these kinds of sales, you can often end up getting items for free, almost free, or in a few cases, you might even be able to MAKE money!

Case in point: evol burritos were on sale for $2.50. I had a couple $1.50 coupons from evol’s website, and Harris Teeter was doing a “super double” coupon sale that week.

$2.50- (2 x $1.50) = -$0.50. So I actually made $0.50 on each one I bought! Fun, right?

If you’d like to see which grocery stores in your state double coupons, you can click HERE.

By checking out the sale flyer before you go to the store and doing a quick online search for coupons, you can end up scoring some great deals. Hope this guide to couponing was helpful for you!

I love couponing and saving money! The best deal I ever got was free shampoo from Target. I paired coupons with an in store deal where you got a $5 gift card if you purchased 3. After coupons I was so happy to pay nothing! Love your money saving posts 🙂Emily @ Sweet Summer Smiles recently posted…My first time at The Bar Method!

This is so great!! I love that you find all these ways to save! I feel like our taste buds are so similar! I drink Unsweetened Almond Milk like it’s my job and can’t go a day without carrots… I love hummus and fresh fruit and yogurt too!! 🙂 Great stuff!Cailee recently posted…Monday’s Motivation- MOVE IT!

These are awesome tips haha I’ve always wanted to try couponing but I KNOW I’d become obsessed. Seriously. The high of saving money on food would seriously take over my life haha. Who knew double couponing was a thing?Lauren @ ihadabiglunch recently posted…Saturday night bakery runs = always a good idea

The best tip I have for saving money is to buy in bulk and eat seasonal. I also eat really cheap foods like bread, pasta, rice, beans and bananas. Using spices is a great way to kick up the flavor of cheap foods for pennies. 🙂Ellie recently posted…Meatless Monday [Brownie Batter Oats via The Big Man]

These tips are super helpful! I definitely need to make a separate email for signups like that, such a great idea! I think couponing is great and totally worth the time, if you know where to look, which now I know way more thanks to this! I always wondered about the double couponing too. I’m not so sure my brain could handle the extreme couponing though haha. The people on that show really know their stuff though!Hailey recently posted…Valentine’s Day 2015

You are so good at coupon-ing! It’s impressive.. I feel like I would try and reason in my head why I should by something “just because” it has a coupon though.. I’ve been known to do that when there are tempting sales at the store! (It’s bad).Nicole @ Squash on Squash recently posted…Back to Philly for a Day

Haha! That’s tricky for sure. I try to only print or clip coupons for things I’d buy anyway, but in a few cases, if I’m getting something super cheap (or free!) I’ll get something I wouldn’t usually buy 🙂

So cool, I wish we had this down under! Coupon in is def not something we rally do here, otherwise I would be all over it!Jessica @ kiwiyogirunner recently posted…The one with the importance of rest days

This post makes me so excited, haha. I like to search on the store’s website for coupons, but I had no idea that companies sent out coupons via email (like Driscoll’s? I love berries!). These tips will definitely come in handy during my next grocery trip. 🙂Melissa recently posted…Quidditch Tournament

I love Driscoll’s coupons since berries can be so expensive! You can actually become a member of their consumer panel and fill out a quick survey for each pack of berries you buy. For each survey, you get a coupon (that you can print multiple times). The coupons start at $.50 and as once you’ve filled out a couple, they increase to $.75, and then $1, and so on! So you can end up getting berries super cheap 🙂
Here’s the link if you want to do it! http://www.driscolls.com/community/berry-community/register

I’ve honestly never really spent the time to coupon, I usually scan the store ads posted at the front of the store for any deals that week. One of the perks of living at home again is not having to buy much groceries, but I will definitely use these tips when I move out. 🙂Lacey @ Runs and Roses recently posted…My 5 Food Rules

I love this post! I’m definitely going to use some of these ideas next time I go to the grocery store. It’s so easy to save a little bit of money here and there! Thanks for sharing 🙂Beverley Cheng recently posted…Bikini Bodies are Achieved During the Winter

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Welcome!

Hi there, I’m Liv! I started blogging during my first year of college at UNC-Chapel Hill to share recipes easy enough for a dorm kitchen. Thankfully, I’m no longer cooking in a dorm, but my goal is still to share simple, delicious recipes that don’t take too much of your time. Most often, you can find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. Read more…